Written Answers Tuesday 20 February 2007

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were admitted to accident and emergency units because of excessive alcohol intake in each year since 1999, broken down by age group and NHS board.

Lewis Macdonald: Information regarding the number of people admitted to accident and emergency units for specific diagnoses is not held centrally.

Architecture

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will take forward its commitment to publishing a renewed statement on architecture policy, as announced in its response to the Cultural Commission report in 2006 and following its recent review and public consultation on architecture policy.

Patricia Ferguson: I am pleased to announce the launch today of Building our Legacy, our new statement on architecture policy. The statement sets out what we believe is an ambitious agenda, responding to emerging challenges and building further upon the aims of Scotland’s policy on architecture, published in 2001. The document is available online at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications .The statement will be launched today to an invited audience of stakeholders during my visit to The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.

Community Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the current underspend in relation to Grant Aided Expenditure by Argyll and Bute Council in respect of care services and what its position is on any further reductions in such services in the area.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is aware of Argyll and Bute Council’s expenditure on community care services. Grant Aided Expenditure is neither a budget nor a spending target but a needs based method for apportioning funding to local authorities. It is for Argyll and Bute Council to allocate funding according to their local priorities, taking account of their statutory obligations. However, I have met the council twice to stress the importance I attach to the effective delivery of community care services, and the role of the joint improvement team has been extended to help the council and health board partners secure improved delivery of these services.

Community Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any powers to intervene in respect of any underfunding of care services for the elderly by Argyll and Bute Council.

Lewis Macdonald: The joint improvement team has been working with Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland on developing their strategic governance and local management arrangements to help address the challenges of providing for the needs of elderly residents. In addition, the Social Work Inspection Agency is currently inspecting Argyll and Bute Council’s social work services and the inspection report will provide an indication of service quality together with any recommendations the council will need to address.

  I am closely monitoring the position and will consider using powers in relation to joint working by local authorities and health boards or powers of direction in relation to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 if required.

Community Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address any failure of Argyll and Bute Council to provide for the needs of elderly residents.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31669 on 20 February 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Community Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take if there is an increased level of delayed discharge in the Argyll and Bute local authority area compared to rates for previous years.

Lewis Macdonald: All NHS/local authority partnerships have agreed new targets that will eliminate delayed discharges over six weeks by April 2008. Argyll and Bute are committed to achieving this and the joint improvement team will continue to work with them to secure a satisfactory outcome for the NHS and more importantly patients.

Dentistry

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have imposed restrictions on NHS dental activities as a result of budgetary pressures and what restrictions have been imposed by each board.

Lewis Macdonald: We are not aware of any NHS boards imposing such restrictions. The costs of general dental services are met centrally.

Dentistry

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have served notice to terminate their NHS contracts in each of the last four months.

Lewis Macdonald: Dentists providing NHS general dental services in Scotland do not have NHS contracts, unlike those in England and Wales.

Fisheries

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has about the number of (a) foreign and (b) UK registered fishing vessels apprehended and escorted into Scottish ports by Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency vessels because of fishing offences in each of the last 10 years, and what range of penalties was imposed in the sheriff courts where the skippers of these vessels were convicted of illegal practices.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency does not keep a specific record of when fishing vessels are escorted to port. When an infringement is detected at sea it is sometimes necessary to escort a vessel to port to secure the necessary evidence for any subsequent court proceedings. In cases involving foreign nationals, escort to and detention in port, is necessary to ensure an accused person is available to answer in court to any charges that are brought as a result of the agency’s investigations.

  The breakdown of foreign and UK registered vessels prosecuted for fisheries infringements, and the range of fines imposed by the courts in these cases, in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the agency records on prosecutions statistics are kept by the financial year and reported as such in the agency’s annual report.

  

Financial Year
Foreign Vessels
Range of Fines
UK Vessels
Range of Fines


1997-98
4
£1,000-£79,000
104
£100-£74,000


1998-99
3
£5,000-£7,000
96
£200-£8,000


1999-2000
4
£2,500-£5,000
68
£100-£15,000


2000-01
0
-
57
£100-£8,000


2001-02
4
£3,500-£17,500
58
£250-£7,000


2002-03
0
-
58
£150-£8,000


2003-04
1
£20,000
33
£250-£12,500


2004-05
8
£500-£50,000
66
£300-£20,000


2005-06
9
£600-£17,500
81
£300-£1,080,000


2006-07
8
£600-£17,000
21
£100-£45000



  Note: 2006-07 – Information given as at 19 February 2007 for cases concluded in court.

Forestry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Forestry Commission Scotland will approve grant applications from Scottish Natural Heritage which contain no provision for fencing.

Sarah Boyack: Forestry Commission Scotland will approve grant for planting schemes which contain no provision for fencing whether submitted by Scottish Natural Heritage or by other applicants if they are satisfied that there is no significant risk of damage from deer or other grazing animals. If such planting schemes are not successful, the applicant would be asked to carry out remedial work to ensure that the scheme will become established.

Freedom of Information

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Brix notes have been considered by Scottish ministers to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, broken down by month since March 2006.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive’s Freedom of Information Unit have been notified of the following requests for Brix notes in each month since March 2006 for which a refusal notice has been issued because an exemption under the act applies. April 2006 - 6, May 2006 - 6, June 2006 - 12, July 2006 - 18. Between August 2006 and January 2007 - 4.

Freedom of Information

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many exemptions Scottish ministers have applied to justify withholding information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in each month since January 2005.

Ms Margaret Curran: There are 17 exemptions to the disclosure of information provided for in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Executive has used all but one of these exemptions - Audit Functions - as and when appropriate to the particular request.

Freedom of Information

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions special advisers have been consulted on responses to freedom of information requests and what the Executive’s policy is on the role of special advisers in preparing its responses to freedom of information requests.

Ms Margaret Curran: The information asked for is not held. Guidance is provided to Scottish Executive staff on the appropriate handling of requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, this is available on the Scottish Executive website at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/FOI/access/internalguide .

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died as a result of a stroke in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Deaths from Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke)1, by NHS Board Area

  

 
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Scotland
6,621
6,722
6,497
6,155
5,789


Ayrshire and Arran
554
578
513
520
481


Borders
149
137
166
133
141


Dumfries and Galloway
204
233
228
215
185


Fife
498
501
476
459
412


Forth Valley
413
362
377
328
349


Grampian
580
622
605
539
533


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
1,666
1,579
1,523
1,448
1,396


Highland
392
428
419
402
366


Lanarkshire
662
631
661
636
610


Lothian
903
956
902
862
777


Orkney
31
31
35
19
16


Shetland
27
22
17
16
9


Tayside
498
584
535
550
481


Western Isles
44
58
40
28
33



  Note: 1. ICD10 codes I60 - I69.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals have been made to Castle Craig Hospital since 1999, broken down by NHS board area and showing the clinical reasons for referral.

Lewis Macdonald: We do not hold centrally the number of referrals to Castle Craig Hospital.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatal accidents have occurred at Castle Craig Hospital since 1999, broken down by recorded cause of death.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of delayed discharge was for residents in the Argyll and Bute local authority area and what the target discharge rate was in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: The following table shows the numbers of patients ready for discharge at April each year since the first April census in 2001.

  NHS – Patients ready for discharge – Argyll and Bute local authority area.

  Total Number and Number Over Six Weeks for each End of Year Census Point: April 2001 to April 2006

  

Census3
Total1
Over 6 Weeks2
Target – Total Delays4
Target – Over 6 Weeks


April 2001
53
38
-
-


April 2002
62
52
-
-


April 2003
71
50
-
-


April 2004
47
33
-
-


April 2005
35
18
38
28


April 2006
63
44
30
22



  Notes:

  1. Total number of patients ready for discharge, in all specialties, reported as at October 2006 census.

  2. Number of patients ready for discharge with a duration of over six weeks (43 days or more), i.e. the common period for discharge planning agreement timescales across Scotland.

  3. The figures in the table exclude patients whose principal reason for delay at the census point was due to awaiting place/bed availability in a specialist residential facility where no facilities exist, or due to requirements of the Adults with Incapacity Act. Prior to the April 2003 census awaiting place or bed availability where no appropriate facilities exist were included under awaiting place or bed availability. Therefore cannot be taken out of the census totals prior to April 2003 census. Prior to the July 2004 census Adults with Incapacity Act were included under legal issues. Therefore cannot be taken out of the census totals prior to July 2004 census.

  4. It is not possible to supply target information for 2002-03 or 2003-04 as these were not percentage targets nor broken down by local authority areas.

  The Delayed Discharge Action Plan, published in March 2002, set a national target of a reduction of 1,000 in delayed discharges across Scotland, by April 2003. For April 2004, partnerships agreed targets with the department, based on local circumstances. For 2004-05 and 2005-06, partnerships were expected to achieve a 20% reduction across the board.

  All of these targets were agreed at health board area level and are not broken down by local authority area.

  Argyll and Bute did make significant reductions in delayed discharges in 2003-04 and again in 2004-05. However, their performance in 2005-06 has been poor and we have had significant engagement with the council over recent months to secure improved performance.

Health

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee to submit its recommendations.

Mr Andy Kerr: The NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee is working to a timetable whereby it will report its recommendations to ministers by the end of June 2007.

  Over the months of July, August and September 2006, the committee undertook a consultation based on the research it had commissioned in the previous year to determine how the Arbuthnott Formula could be improved and refined. This included research into population measurement and demography; the resource allocation adjustment for health care needs due to morbidity and life circumstances and other factors, and the excess costs of supplying healthcare services including the remoteness adjustment within the formula. As part of the consultation process the committee also ran three regional workshops in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Clydebank for interested parties.

  The committee recently published on its website, http://www.nrac.scot.nhs.uk, the consultation responses and the analysis of the responses along with a paper summarising the analytical work plan for the final post-consultation phase of its work.

NHS Staff

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on NHS administrative staff in each year since 1990.

Mr Andy Kerr: Administrative staff make an invaluable contribution to the operation of the health service, organising services in a way which provides equitable access to the highest possible levels of sustainable quality care and ensuring that the patient’s journey through the system is made as smooth as possible, for example through effective management of patient records and efficient scheduling of appointments.

  Over the years, the way administrative staff figures have been collected has changed, so it is difficult to compare from year to year. Administration costs are available prior to 1994-95, however, while they identify staffing numbers, they do not include the costs associated with them, therefore they have not been included in the following table. The figures for 1994-95 to 1997-98 includes management and administration staff working in NHS trusts and board "headquarter" employees. From 1998-99 onwards, the figures are for "administrative and clerical" staff employed in trusts and boards.

  Staff classified as "administrative and clerical" include health promotion workers, medical secretaries and clinical governance officers. Despite their classification, staff in these areas would not normally be considered as administrators.

  In order to establish context, the following table also shows these costs as a percentage of the overall NHS staff costs.

  

 
£000
%


1994-95
217,220
11.4%


1995-96
253,860
12.6%


1996-97
268,944
12.9%


1997-98
267,413
12.6%


1998-99
265,697
11.9%


1999-2000
290,179
12.8%


2000-01
311,673
12.7%


2001-02
334,674
12.1%


2002-03
370,331
13.1%


2003-04
413,216
12.9%


2004-05
489,136
13.5%


2005-06
537,255
13.7%

Parliamentary Questions

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30229 by Mr Andy Kerr on 6 February 2007, why there was a delay in giving a substantive answer to this question; what the median length of time is for giving substantive answers to parliamentary questions, and what the 10 longest delays were for in giving such answers during Session 2 of the Parliament.

Mr Andy Kerr: Additional time was needed in this case as a significant amount of work was on-going to develop appropriate guidance for NHS boards and health care professionals to ensure a consistent approach in support of the confirmed legal position. A copy of the guidance can be found on the SHOW website at http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/cmo/CMO(2007)03.pdf .

  Parliamentary questions should normally be answered within 10 counting days of the question being lodged, where questions are tabled while the Parliament is in recess for more than four days, questions lodged during the two weeks before the start of recess and during the period of recess are allowed 20 counting days for answer. The length of time involved to provide answers does, however, depend on a number of factors.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its total expenditure was on (a) newspapers, magazines and periodicals, (b) landscape gardening and flora and (c) stationery in each of the last three years.

Mr Tom McCabe: The total amounts paid in each year are given in the following table and cover the core Executive plus those agencies which use its payment system. The figures show the amounts allocated against the periodicals and stationery codes respectively.

  

Year
Periodicals, Magazines and Papers
Stationery


2004-05
£323,349
£1,125,706


2005-06
£408,791
£1,098,010


2006-07*
£298,751
£613,402



  Note: *Figures for 2006 to 2007 year to date.

  With regards to payment for landscape gardening and flora I would refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31249 on 1 February 2007, which provides the relevant information for 2006-07. The corresponding figure for 2005-06 is comparable at £37,000. Figures for the financial year 2004-05 are not available.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.